Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to automotive design and, more specifically, to techniques for dynamically changing tactile surfaces of a haptic controller to convey interactive system information.
Description of the Related Art
Interactive systems typically include one or more interface mechanisms that enable users to dynamically control and/or observe the state of the interactive system. For example, a computer system may include multiple interface mechanisms such as a mouse, a keyboard, and a display device. Ideally, these interface mechanisms enable the user to efficiently control the operations of the interactive system in an intuitive manner and with minimal cognitive load (i.e., amount of mental effort). However, in some situations, manipulating such interactive mechanisms may unacceptably increase the cognitive load of the user. For example, the aggregate cognitive load required for a user to perform several “secondary” interactive tasks in parallel may cause the user to lose focus on the “primary” task.
One common primary task where users are particularly susceptible to distraction attributable to secondary interactive tasks is driving. For example, an in-vehicle infotainment system may include a central control panel that enables the user to enter commands that alter the state of the system and receive feedback regarding the current state and target state of the system. In operation, the user may glance at a touch-sensitive display embedded in the central control panel to determine that the current mode is “navigation,” perform a forward swipe gesture to change the mode to “media,” glance at the display to determine the actions that are available in the media mode, and then perform an additional swipe gesture to play a particular song. When the user performs such adjustments while driving, the user typically takes his/her eyes off the road—multiple times—reducing the ability of the driver to focus on driving, which increases the likelihood of accidents.
In an effort to reduce driver distraction attributable to visual interfaces, some in-vehicle infotainment systems have been designed to include, among things, auditory interfaces. Nonetheless, such systems still provide visual feedback to the user to convey the current operational mode (i.e., navigation, media, etc.), different actions that can be performed in the current operational mode, and/or the results of various user-based actions. Visual feedback of this nature is still distracting to users. Further, auditory interfaces are susceptible to errors introduced by road noise, passenger conversations, etc. Those errors further distract users when they occur. Consequently, the increased cognitive load attributable to operating in-vehicle infotainment systems that include auditory interfaces is still relatively high.
As the foregoing illustrates, more effective techniques for users to interface with interactive systems would be useful.